Menteer is a mobile app that plays matchmaker between wide-eyed job seekers and supportive mentors. It's a great way for people making their initial forays into the professional world -- or looking to make a drastic career switch -- to access the wisdom and experience of people who have already been around the proverbial block.
The app allows users to sign up to be considered for different kinds of mentorship pairings including peer-to-peer (where two people learn together and help each other) and traditional (where a mentor shares their insights with a mentee).
For mentors, the app represents an opportunity to forge new connections, further their leadership skills and make a positive contribution to the community and to their specific industry by helping to guide and groom new and prospective entrants into the field.
Menteer was developed by the Career Skills Incubator (CSIC), a volunteer-run initiative operated out of the Center for Social Innovation in Toronto. It was borne out of a desire to make more efficient use of volunteer hours and streamline the mentor-matching process. The app uses an algorithm that matches users by taking into account an array of factors including work experience, career goals and communication style.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Peer-to-peer Mentorship
- Creating mentorship opportunities between peers through apps like Menteer presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in how professionals can learn from each other.
- Streamlined Mentor-matching
- Incorporating algorithms for mentor-matching can greatly improve efficiency and accessibility for individuals seeking mentorship, with potential to disrupt traditional mentorship models.
- Virtual Mentorship
- With the rise of mentor-matching apps, virtual mentorship is becoming more accessible, presenting an opportunity for innovation and growth in online professional development platforms.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Career Development
- Mentor-matching apps like Menteer have great potential to transform the way career development is approached in industries across the board.
- Social Impact
- Volunteer-run initiatives like the Career Skills Incubator, which developed Menteer, present an opportunity to disrupt traditional social impact and volunteering models in various industries.
- Technology
- As mentor-matching apps become more prevalent, technology with the ability to match users based on a range of factors can be developed for use in various industries, potentially streamlining and optimizing many processes.
